BOXING:Little has changed over the last two or three years. The whys of Wayne McCullough's career have now become the main focus of interest and at 37, the former WBC bantamweight world champion returns to the stage in Belfast to try to arrest the worst run of results of his career.  Johnny Wattersonreports

For those who have been watching McCullough through his six consecutive defeats on the back of a successful and honourable career, thoughts also settle around his efforts to halt the march of time. But the Belfast Olympic silver medallist has never been one to slip into retirement, even if there are those who believe that one more bout cannot be worth the pay day.

"People say I'm just back fighting for the money. It's not about money," he says. "If my reflexes were gone I'd stop. I enjoy training and have trained twice a day for the last two years. I box because I love boxing."

McCullough bridles at the questions that have been hurled at him time and time again. But in boxing, being ageist is a kindly and preserving vice and McCullough has always been liked for his lack of malice and boyish enthusiasm.

But as he faces the 21-year-old undefeated Spaniard Kiko Martinez, who put Bernard Dunne's world title ambitions on ice 12 weeks ago at the Point with a first-round knock-out, there is a high curiosity factor involved and perhaps even a voyeuristic element to Saturday's bout at the King's Hall.

Since he lost to the then WBC super-bantamweight champion Oscar Larios almost two and a half years ago, he has continued to see no real hurdle, age or otherwise, to deflect him from regaining another world title and his perseverance raises interesting issues. Should he be forced to stop? If so why? Should age ever be a factor?

McCullough's right is to carry on taking punches and to continue throwing twice as many as his opponent.

"This is the way I am," he answers. "Some people think there is something wrong with me. But that's just me and it always has been. This guy (Martinez) is world rated now. If I can beat him it is an opportunity. My goal is still to win a world championship. A win against Martinez would be a start."

Martinez has had 17 fights and 17 wins and just three of his bouts have gone the distance. His defeat of Dunne was probably the most impressive demolition yet by the renowned puncher but as the Albert Foundry fighter has pointed out, the younger man from Alicante has never stepped into the ring with some of the South American granite that he has faced in Daniel Zaragoza, Erik Morales and Antonio Barrera.

"My punch has probably slowed a bit," admits McCullough. "But I still throw more than average. He'll try and be all over me and try to knock me out. I haven't had someone come at me for a long time and I'll hit him two to one.

"It's true that he is unbeaten and has had a lot of knock-outs but I have been in the ring with much bigger punchers, guys like Morales and Naseem Hamed, and they couldn't put me down."

McCullough's last fight against Larios was also the only time in his career where he was beaten inside the distance.

It was the second of his two clashes against the champion in Las Vegas and for some it was a bout that should have told him to call a halt (his fight against Scott Harrison in the Brae Head in 2003, after which he spent the night in a Glasgow hospital, was also a needless demonstration of his bravery and strength of character).

"I'm ready for Martinez," he says unwaveringly "I know that."